CHAPTER XXVIII.
FACING DEATH.
The boys were roughly awakened the next morning,—at what hour they couldnot judge but estimated that it must be early by the pale light—and ajug of water and a dark brown mess of badly cooked beans, in anearthenware pot, shoved through their bars by the same ill favored guardwho had been on duty the night before. Unpalatable as the stuff lookedthey nevertheless fell on it hungrily, being actually half-starved andseriously weakened by their march of the day before. The momentaryexultation caused by the receipt of Ben Stubbs’ letter had evaporatedwhen they awakened and both felt that their prospects were gloomyindeed.
After breakfast they were left in their cell for some time,—the monotonybeing enlivened by an incident that struck a chill to the alreadyflagging spirits of both boys. The interruption began with a ruffle ofdrums and then a bugle call. After this there intervened a march andthen all was silent for possibly fifteen minutes. Then there boomed outthe solemn tolling of a bell and a few seconds later the boys heard,with horrified ears, a sharp command—and then the rattle of a volley. Ofcourse they could see nothing of this,—a blank wall facing their cellsand shutting out all view of the barrack-yard,—but from what they heardthey could conjure up the ghastly details of the execution as vividly asif they had been present.
It was not long after this, while they were busy with their gloomythoughts, that a petty officer of some kind, at the head of a file ofmen came to their cell. The door was thrown open and the boys werehandcuffed,—in spite of their protests against the ignominy. With asoldier on either side of them they were then marched across the barrackground where a depressing sight met their eyes.
A number of soldiers were carrying an oblong box draped in black acrossthe quadrangle. Behind them followed two weeping women and a bent oldman. Two children, wide-eyed at what it all meant,—formed the rest ofthe sad little party. Both boys realized at once with a keen start ofrepulsion that they were witnessing the last act of the drama whoseaction they had heard in their cell.
They were marched across the quadrangle, their escort paying no moreattention to the sad scene than if it had been an every day occurrence,and up a flight of steep, bare stairs into a long, low room,—down thecenter of which ran a long table. The table was covered with cheapoilcloth and was littered with pens and paper.
Half-a-dozen men, who were officers to judge by their uniforms, sat ateither side of it and at the head was a man whom the boys recognized atonce as General Rogero.
His evil eyes gleamed with a sinister glint as they fell on the twoboys.
“So,—here we have the young revolutionists,—gentlemen,” he said, turningto the other officers, who all regarded the boys with curiosity but withno more compassion than if they had been gazing at the tortured victimsof a bull fight.
Rogero leaned back. He was evidently in no hurry to shorten his triumph.He seemed fairly to gloat over his two prisoners. Frank and Harryreturned his gaze fearlessly and after a while the leader of theNicaraguan forces dropped his basilisk eyes with a shamed andembarrassed expression. The next moment he made up for his temporarylapse by striking the table with his fist and informing the boys thatthey were before a court-martial.
“By what right do you bring us here?” demanded Frank.
“By the right that we offer every man to get a chance for his life,” wasthe startling reply.
“What have we done that puts us within the pale of military law?” againdemanded the elder of the brothers.
“I presumed you were intelligent enough to know that citizens of aneutral power, interfering in another government’s suppression ofsedition, place themselves beyond the protection of their own country,”rejoined Rogero.
“We have not interfered in any quarrel you may have with yourunfortunate dependents,” was Frank’s reply, “we are American citizensand I demand the right; if we are to be tried at all,—of a hearingbefore a civil court.”
Rogero smiled his evil smile once more.
“My dear young man,” he remarked casually, “in the present unsettledstate of the country we have no civil courts. The army is the law andthe law is vested in the army.”
The other officers chorused their assent. The boys looked desperatelyabout them. No,—there was no means of escape. The windows were guardedand at each door stood a sentry, stiffly at attention.
Rogero instantly divined the purpose of their anxious looks.
“No, Señors, there is no escape,” he sneered, “you see, with two suchresourceful young men as you have proved to be, we are taking nochances,—as you say in your country. I am much too anxious to keep youhere to think of allowing you to slip through my fingers, as did youngBarnes—by your cursed tricks,” he ended furiously, the passion thatunderlay his suave exterior glaring suddenly on his face.
The next minute he was the same sneering, smiling snake they had alwaysknown him.
“But we are wasting time, gentlemen,” he said. “I find there are threecharges on the indictment against these unfortunate and imprudent youngmen, First:—that they conspired with revolutionists against the peace ofthe Nicaraguan republic; Second:—that they illegally removed a militaryprisoner from the lines of the Government’s army, and, Third:—that theyassisted the revolutionists in their landing on the coast, both activelyand by furnishing them with contraband-of-war. The last clause,gentlemen of the court, refers to the possession by these youngAmericanos of a so-called air-ship, which their father—a well-knownconspirer against the Government,—induced them to bring to this countryso that it might be used against us on behalf of the revolutionists.”
“That’s a lie,” burst out Frank.
“Save your breath, Señor,” sneered Rogero, with a threatening glance,“you may not have much more left of it.”
“The father of these boys,” continued Rogero, “like all other Americanosin this country, has objected to the taxes that our noble presidentZelaya, has wisely put on all articles they export or bring in andnaturally therefore is in sympathy with any revolutionary movement. I donot know, gentlemen, what your verdict will be; but, for myself, I mustvote for their immediate execution as a solemn duty to my country.”
The boys’ cheeks blanched in spite of themselves. This man then actuallymeant to put them to death.
“Courage, Harry;” whispered Frank, and he added his slogan of “whilethere’s life there’s hope!”
“There is one alternative,” went on Rogero, “and that is this,—thatthese young men at once agree to sign a document assigning to thegovernment of Nicaragua all their father’s property and forward it tohim for his signature by a messenger I have waiting. If Señor Chesterthe elder will pay this ransom these foolish boys may go free,otherwise—” he gave an expressive gesture the meaning of which was onlytoo plain to need translating into words.
There was a hurried consultation, of what was called, by a ludicroustravesty, the “court-martial,” and then the members reconvened. One ofthem arose and, addressing Rogero who had assumed his seat at the headof the long table, said:
“What you have proposed is agreeable to the other members of thiscourt-martial, General.”
“Then your verdict, gentlemen, is?” demanded Rogero.
“Death by shooting,” was the reply that sent an involuntary shudderthrough the boys.
Rogero smiled his evil smile again—twice as menacing in his triumph.“You, however, agree to offering them my alternative,” asked Rogeroanxiously, “La Merced is a rich plantation and so is that of DonPachecho adjoining it; which I don’t doubt we can easily acquire when wehave established headquarters at La Merced.”
“Of course we agree to your alternative, General,” replied the otherofficer, “as to what you say about Don Pachecho’s estancia, however, wecan doubtless assimilate that with little difficulty. General Ruiz, hisson-in-law, is dead——”
“And he left a remarkably pretty widow,” put in Rogero, “really I am inquite
a hurry to establish headquarters near such a charming neighbor.”
“I was going to say,” resumed the other, “that as General Ruiz is deadwe can naturally claim his property for the government as that of arevolutionist.”
This cool proposal met with great applause, induced, in a large measure,by the fact that each officer saw in his mind’s eye himself beingawarded the property. Rogero, more comprehensive, had already mentallyclaimed it all for himself.
“You have heard the alternative, prisoners?” snapped Rogero, who had nowquite dropped his mask of sardonic politeness, “What do you say?”
“I say that if we are to die we will die as American boys should, andaccept no such disgraceful terms,” proudly replied Frank.
“And I, that we should be as bad sons as we would be unworthy citizensif we even considered your dastardly proposal,” exclaimed Harry.
“Very well, you have signed your own death warrants,” bitterly repliedRogero. “In a few days we shall have captured La Merced in any event,and I shall have much pleasure in informing your father of how his twopromising youngsters died.”
It was well for Rogero at that moment that the boys’ hands weremanacled. It was perhaps as well for every one in the room that theycould not strike a blow. For to such a pitch of fury had the sneeringwords of the dark-skinned man before them aroused them that had theybeen free it would have cost him dear.
“For the last time I ask you?” demanded Rogero, “will you accede to myproposal?”
“For the last time no—not if it was to save our lives ten times over,”replied Frank.
Rogero moved over to a window that overlooked the quadrangle of thebarracks.
“I shall have an excellent view of your deaths from this window,” heremarked, “and I assure you that nothing I have seen for a long timewill give me more pleasure.”
“_Not even your murder of Dr. Moneague in New York_,”—quietly retortedFrank.
The effect the boy’s remark on Rogero was electric. His brown faceseemed to turn a sickly green.
“You American dog—for that, if I could inflict a thousand deaths uponyou, you should die them all, one by one,” he fairly shouted.
“Take them away,” he bawled to the soldiers, who stood staringopen-mouthed at the sight of his maniacal fury. “Take them away andshoot them down, before I run them through with my sword.”
Frank smiled with a bitter contempt. If he had ever felt any doubt as toRogero’s guilt he was convinced of it now. He was beyond a question themurderer of Dr. Moneague. His own fury and consternation at Frank’squiet remark had convinced the boy. As the boys were led out Rogerostood at the window. They could see that he was shaking and muttering tohimself as if in terror. At that moment a huge bat, that had beenhanging to one of the rafters of the room, which was unceiled, floppedheavily down and nearly struck him in the face. Rogero reeled back withwhat was almost a scream of horror.
“Vampiro,” the boys heard the soldiers say, showing almost as muchhorror as had Rogero at the sudden apparition of the animal,—which hadnow flopped heavily off again into some other recess. They did not knowthen that in most Central American countries the vampire is regarded asan evil spirit and carries the menace of death on its leathern wings, aswell as its reputation as a blood-sucker.